 No map feature
 Not much mission variety
 Extreme violence
may be too much for some

Grade

B

Manhunt is the latest game from the people who brought us the
Grand Theft Auto series, and as you'd expect it's a game not intended for
all audiences. In fact, Manhunt is so violent, even the most
hardened gamer might get a bit queasy playing through the game. Quite
possibly the most violent, disturbing game ever released for consoles,
Manhunt is sure to generate controversy, but underneath all the
blood and gore is a surprisingly solid game experience.

Manhunt tells the story of James Earl Cash, a death row inmate
who is scheduled to die as the game begins. However, he is spared from
execution by a man named Starkweather, and given a chance at life; if
he can survive the night. You see, Starkweather is a director of sorts,
and he wants Cash to be the star in his next production: a snuff film.
Starkweather has bribed the police to let him use a run down section of
Carcer City as his personal movie set, and has populated it with thugs
and gang members, all waiting to take you out. He promises that if you
follow instructions, and survive the ordeal, you will be set free.

Manhunt's primary gameplay is stealth, similar to games like
Splinter Cell and Tenchu. Like Splinter Cell, light plays an important
role in the game. Shadows provide "safe zones" from the hunters, places
to hide and stalk them until the perfect moment, or places for them to
hide and ambush you. Sound plays a large factor as well, you will be
able to toss bricks, cans or bottles to get hunters attention, knock on
walls and trash cans, or even use your own voice with a USB headset.
The radar is entirely dependent on sound and sight as well; if you can't
see or hear the enemy, they won't show up on the radar. However, as
long as you stay silent and hidden, they won't see you either, as long as
you are hidden in a safe zone, a hunter can be 3 feet from you, staring
right at you, and not see you. It sounds silly, but it needs to work
for the game to allow you to survive, if Cash gets ganged up on, he will
not be able to win as 2-3 hunters will kill you quite quickly.

In order to move from area to area, Starkweather will give you goals,
which typically involve killing everyone in the area to open a door. As
mentioned, fighting enemies hand to hand is generally a bad idea, gang
members will call for help, and you can be easily overwhelmed, so
stealth kills are the best way to dispatch your foes. Cash can target an
enemy, and then while sneaking up on them, the targeting meter will
change colors, depending on the level of kill you wish to execute. White is
the first level, available as soon as you are in range, and is the
quickest, least messy death. Yellow appears after 3-5 seconds, with a more
graphic execution. Red is the last stage, taking upwards of 6-7
seconds, and is the most gruesome. You can get by with only level one
executions for most of the game, however there is one level that forces you
to perform level 2 and 3 executions to advance. Also, the extras in the
game are unlocked by getting better ratings in the levels; the more
level 3 executions you perform, the higher your rating, so if you want the
extra levels and concept art, you have to get gory.

The stealth kills are what make Manhunt different from other
stealth games. Since you are "starring" in a snuff film, the executions
are quite brutal, there are plenty of different ones to see, and the
camera gives you a close up view each time you perform one. There are 3
different weapon types to kill with; green weapons (glass shards,
plastic bags, razor wire) are silent, one-use tools. Blue weapons (crowbars,
nightsticks, knives, etc.) can be re-used and are silent, so enemies
nearby won't hear your killings. Red weapons (baseball bats, chainsaws)
are the most brutal, and the most noisy, but also provide the best
damage in a fight. Aside from melee weapons, Cash will also acquire guns,
from simple pistols and shotguns to sniper and assault rifles. The
guns have no stealth kills, however headshots are easy to perform and kill
in one hit. Levels typically alternate between sneaking around and
fighting with guns, the early levels feature almost all sneaking, while
the later levels feature almost all gunplay.

Level design is decent, you move from one run down section of town to
another, and they begin to look the same after a while. Occasionally
some color will appear, but not until much later in the game. However,
this doesn't distract you, levels look and feel like you would expect a
run down town to, and the graphics are well done. Cash and the enemy
player models look like beefed up versions of the GTA series characters,
with better clothing and facial features. Objects cast appropriate
shadows, and cars, guns and other level objects are well rendered.

Audio plays a major part in this game, and it's very well realized.
Footsteps sound different on various surfaces, gravel makes noise that
hunters can here, while concrete does not. Enemy characters often talk
to themselves and their friends, and there are tons of different
responses to them seeing you, fighting you, and even looking for you. Hunters
will call you names, taunt you, and even plead for their lives. The
music is mostly ambient, only getting loud when enemies are nearby or you
are in a fight. Starkweather will comment on your progress often; if
you are performing lots of level 3 kills he will be very supportive and
happy, if you slink in the shadows and avoid hunters he will taunt you
and call you names.

There are some downsides to the game, namely the lack of a map feature
and lack of mission variety. At the beginning of each level, you get a
short cutscene of where you are supposed to go, but after that you're
on your own. There are typically many ways to get to your objective,
but with no map you can often find yourself running around looking for
where you need to be. Missions almost all consist of "go here, kill
these guys, move on". Occasionally you'll have twists added, like
escorting a drunk through the level, or having to remain out of sight for fear
the hunters will kill innocent people, but those are only 3-4 of the
game's 20 missions. The level of violence might be a negative for some
people as well. Depending on how desensitized you are, this game might
not affect you at all, or it might be too much for you to handle. I'll
be frank; the executions are brutal, and some are borderline
disgusting, I was shocked by some of them and I'm pretty desensitized to most
violence. The fact that the game basically boils down to you virtually
murdering countless people can start to get to you, I had to take breaks
every 2-3 levels to take a step back from the game and clear my head.
The story is almost nonexistent too, you get no explanation as to why
Starkweather does this, or why you were chosen, or even why you were on
death row. The ending doesn't explain much either, and there really
isn't any closure to Cash's story.

In the end though, Manhunt is a very good game, it's just hidden
under a coat of blood and filth. The game engine is good, and the
gameplay, graphics and audio are well done. If you can stomach the
disturbing images and violence, you'll find a solid stealth/action game. If
you get squeamish easily though, you may want to only rent, or skip the
game altogether.

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